mcnab



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet l.

J. MGNAB.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIG A011).

No. 325,268. I Patented Sept. 1, 1885.

-ruviri' 01L.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

J. MGNAB.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIU A011).

N0. 325,263. Patented Sept. 1, 1885.

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UNETD STATES PATENT Cri ics.

JAMES MCNAB, OE CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHURIC ACID.

(,PECIFICATION"arming part of Letters Patent No. 325,263, dated September 1, 1885.

(No ninth-1;)

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES McNAB, of the city and county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Apparatusii'or I\Ianufacturing Sulphuric Acid, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to apparatus for the manufacture of sulphuric acid, but more particularly for the process of restoring to the normal condition the contents of the chambers when they become what is technically known as sick or pale, and it consists in certain improvements and combination of parts, all of which is fully set forth in the following specitleation and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

Heretofore in manufacturing sulphuric acid the acidchambers would at intervals assume a sick or pale condition, due to the destruction or want of production of nitrous gas, indirectly caused by the requisite quantity of air and steam not being admitted with the snlphurous-acid gas, and when in this condi- [10!] the sulphurous gas passes off into the atmosphere and is wasted. This destruction of the proper nitrous vapors occurs to the greatest extent in the last of the chambers, and it is here that the nitrous gas is mainly required. To remove this paleness or sickness, it has been customary to burn a large amount of nitrate of soda in the sulphur-furnacc, and thus introduce into the chambers the necessary quantity of nitrous vapor to oxidize the sulphurous acid and convert it into sulphuric acid; but this process, while it accomplishes the end desired, takes from twelve to fifteen hours to work the nitrous vapor around to the last chamber, where it is required, before being able to restore the sick chamber to its normal condition.

The object of my invention is to provide auxiliary means whereby nitrous vapor may be admitted in the requisite quantities to the last or any other chamber desired direct and with out first causing it to pass through the Glover tower and other chambers, thereby enabling a sick or pale chamber to be brought back to its normal condition inone hour; and, further, to produce the nitrous-acid gas required from the sulphuric acid which passes from the Gay- Lussac tower, thereby obviating the necessity of consuming extra nitrate of soda. From this it is seen that I elai 111 not only to remove the sickness from the acid-chambers in about one-fifteenth the time heretofore required, but also to obtain this result without consuming any fresh nitrate of soda.

My improved tower maybe used to great advantage in small works where Glover and Gay-Lussac towers are seldom found.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a sulphuric-acid works embodying my improvements; and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of portion of same, the parts being somewhat differently arranged to facilitate their explanation.

A A A A are the usual acid-chambers, and are connected together by fines B. C is the usual furnace, in which the sulphur or iron pyrites is burned and the nitrate of soda bailed. The sulphurous gas, air, and nitric gas pass by line D into the bottom ofthe Glover tower E, and then into the first chamber, A, by flue F. The gases from the last acid-chamber, A, pass by flue G into the Gay-Lussac tower H, and thence into the air or chimney.

In the ordinary process sulphuric acid from the Glover tower is pumped up by ainpump J into flask or tank I, from which it is allowed to flow into the top ofthe Gay-Lussac tower,

.absorbing the nitrous gas which may be passing up from chamber A. This acid, charged with the nitrous vapor, flows into the vessel J, from which it is raised by air-pressu re into the tank K, and from which tank it flows slowly down through the Glover. tower E, meeting the hot sulphurous gas, nitric gas, and air,which cause the said sulphuric acidto give up its nitrous acid, which latter joins the other gases and passes into the acid-chamber, where they meet with the requisite quantity of steam to convert the sulphurous gas into hydrated sulphuric acid at the expense of the nitrous acid.

The sulphuric acid which has passed through the Glover tower may run into a tank, E, or may flow back into the vessel J and be used in Gay-Lussac to absorb nitrous gas.

I? is my auxiliary tower, and consists of a central flue, R, or cylinder of fire-clay or other material not acted upon by sulphuric acid, and rests in a terracotta basin, S, having apertures 1' for the passage of thesulphurie acid. This cylinder R is inclosed by a leaden cylinder, It, of larger diameter, and the intermediate or annular space filled in with sulphur R The top is closed in with a terracotta lid, V, made with a basin, V, having pgrforations u and upright flanged aperture X O is a terra-cotta pipe, which connects the aperture V with the last acid-chamber, A the said pipe beinginclined toward the said 01131111 her to cause any condensations to run into said chamber. It may be provided with a damper, O, of any suitable construction, so that the tower P may be connected or disconnected with the chamber A, as desired.

Thejoint between flue or pipe 0 and the acid-chamber consists of a terracotta section, WV, inserted through the lead lining of the chamber and extending some distance within, so that any acid running down pipe 0 shall pass into the chamber without touching the lead joint. A lead flange, w, is bent up close to the pipe-section NV, and, if desired, cemented. Another flange may be raised or secured to the leaden chamber-lining and encircling the pipe vV, as shown at w, and the annular trough, thus formed between the two flanges w w kept filled with water. S is a spout to run off the sulphuric acid from basin S into the tank P. M is a water-tank from which the requisite quantity may be siphoned cr otherwise run off into the trough V by pipe m. Sulphuric acid saturated with nitrous acid is siphoned or run off from tank K by pipe L into the trough V, where it mixes with the water,and then runs through aperture ainto the tower and trickles down through the flint packing or filling P, where it meets with a jet of steam from pipe T, near the bottom, and provided with a valve, t. The sulphuric acid gives up part of its nitrous vapors, allowing the nitrous gas to pass off by pipe 0 into the acid-chamber A, while the sulphuric acid passes down into tank P. This supplies the chamber with the requisite quantity of nitrous Vapor in the proper condition to convert 'the sulphurous gas into sulphuric acid, thus restoring the acid-chamber from its palencss or sickness to its'normal condition at once. Ofcourse it is to be understood that the pipe 0 might connect with any other of the acid-chambers, or two or more of them, and the construction of the apparatus might be modified in various ways without departing from my invention.

I make no claim in this application to the process and methods described, as these form the subject-matter of another application filed by me May 8, 1883.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

a 1. The combination of acidchamber A pipe 0, inclined towards the acidchamber, a. damper, O, and a nitrous-vapor-generating tower, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of acid-chamber A, pipe 0, inclined toward the acid-chamber, a damper, O, pipe XV, lead flanges w w, and a nitrous-vapor-generating tower, substantially as set forth.

8. The combinationof cylinder R, containing filling P of flint or its equivalent, lid V, outlet V, trough V, apertures a, basin S, and steam-pipe T, substantially as set forth. 4

4. The combination of cylinder R, containing filling P of flint or its equivalent, lid V, outlet V trough V, having apertures 20, water-tank M, pipem, sulph uric-acid tank K, pipe L, basin S, and steam-pipe T, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of cylinder It, filling of flint, P, outer cylinder, R, sulphur filling W, a liquid seal at the bottom, a steam-pipe, T, pipes to admit water and sulphuric acid charged with nitrous vapors, and an outlet at the top, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, in a sulphuric'acid works, of the acid-chambers with an auxiliary nitrons-vaporgenerating tower separate and distinct from the usual Gay-Lussac tower, and arranged to discharge nitrous fumes into the last acid-chamber, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, in a sulplmric-acid works, of the acid-chambers with an auxiliary nitrous-vapor-generating tower separate and distinct from the usual Gay-Lussac tower, and means to connect and disconnect said tower with the last of the acidrhambers, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, in a sulphuric-acid works, of the acid-chambers with an auxiliary nitrous-vapor generating tower separate and distinct from the usual Gay-Lussac tower, said tower consisting of a cylinder containing refractory material, provided with means at the top to admit the sulphuric acid containing the nitrous vapors in solution, a liquid seal to allow the acid to pass off at the bottom, a steam-pipe to admit steam into the cylinder containing the refractory material, and a flue connecting said cylinder with the acid-chamber, substantially as set forth.

In testimonyof which invention I hereunto set my hand.

JAMES MQNAB.

\Vitnesscs:

ANDREW ZANE, J 12., JOSHUA llIATLACK. 

